Polish authorities are considering closing freight traffic with Belarus. Currently, only one border crossing is open for passenger traffic (Terespol) and one for freight traffic (Koroshchyn). In addition, goods can also cross the border using the Mikashevich railroad terminal.
In particular, the railroad border crossing is important for transporting goods from China to European countries. Its importance has further increased after the closure of the possibility of passing goods through Ukraine and the impediments of shipping through the Suez Canal.
Currently, the rail route through Belarus is the fastest way to deliver goods from China to Europe and takes up to 26 days. Using the sea route around Africa extends transportation to 41 days on average. This results in a dramatic increase in the cost of transporting goods from China, due not only to increased fuel costs but also marine insurance.
The importance of rail transportation is growing significantly for both China, which is exporting its goods, and Russia and Belarus, which are transit countries. Closing the Belarus-Poland border would be a blow to these countries.
During a June visit to China, President Andrzej Duda used this argument during talks with President Xi Jinping, urging the Chinese authorities to exert their influence on the Belarusian government to stop the migration pressure on Poland.
Since then, the number of incidents has dropped significantly, which may indicate the effectiveness of the argument for closing the border.
Now, the Polish authorities want to use the argument of the possibility of closing the border again in direct talks with Belarus. The talks concern the release from prison of Polish journalist Andrzej Poczobut, who has been imprisoned for years in Belarus.
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